eating disney's california adventure

having a 4 day weekend means going to disney's california adventure baaaabbyy! however, i recalled a disgusting gorge fest at disneyland not too long ago and was appalled when i couldn't fit into my favorite mumu after that. this time, i'm going to eat like a bird...kind of.

to maximize our time, we went early bird special style and got there just when the park opened up. the other gazillion people must have had the same idea so a crowd wasn't avoided per se, but i felt like i maximized my duckets by being god awful early.

lunch started with a trip to taste pilots' grill. the grill served typical fast food, but their claim to fame is their "gourmet ribs." why really? so like a child born yesterday, i ordered it. relatively speaking, it tasted aight, if aight means boiled ribs with hardly any charring and then drenched, and i mean drenched, in a sweet, sticky bbq sauce. it came with a side of fries or a side of sliced apples if you want to be healthy. hey wait a minute...what happened to my apples?!

we also shared a child's plate of sliders because they were also allegedly tasty. the meat patty tasted boiled...boo! the get-off-the-stage kind of boo! the place was super crowded though and appeared to be the favorite eatery for families with many, and i mean, MANY children.

and of course, i can't have a day at the amusement park without a frozen banana with nuts...so why not get 2?! the first one i gobbled up while waiting in line for soarin' over california.

the second one was consumed as we walked about the park. i even managed to find it a hat to take its glamour pic. yummm, LOVE FROZEN BANANAS WITH NUTS and look at how cute this one looked!

yaddy yadda rides, yaddy yadda walking, then came a quick dinner at corn dog castle. i heard they have amazing corndogs, just like the little red wagon at disneyland and if you've read my post about dizzneyland eats, you KNOW i must have me a corndog.

this time, i chose their hot links corndog which was ewwww....i should have known the fattiness from the hotlinks + the grease from the whole thing being fried = greasy burps and a 1/2 eaten corndog. even the side of sliced apples did nothing to cut the grease or the guilt. next time, i'm sticking to the regular corndog cuz greasy on a stick does not a party in my mouth make.

other than walking about, eating, and standing in line for rides, i popped my head into a few stores just to look. i saw this stand of super ginormous lollipops and recalled a time when i really, really wanted one as a kid, but didn't get one :( i would never want one now though. these lollipops are made for clowns and kids. besides, can you truly eat one all by yourself? i get bored with gum after only a few minutes of chewing it so come on now!

the whole eating experience ended with a mango smoothie at schmoozies. it was rather sour and did nothing to quench my thirst. it did, however, make me pucker up my face like a wrinkled california raisin. a bottle of naked juice smoothie would have been better than this.

so after all the eating and perusing, we bugged out. maybe because this was my first time there, but i thought california adventure edged out disneyland on the "fun-for-old-people" factor. more things to see and everything was so darn CUTE! alright, it'll be like another 7 years before i head back to these parks. i think i would rather go to that other park where there's roulette and craps tables. i think mr. potato head would agree.

Disney's California Adventure

1313 S Harbor Blvd

Anaheim, CA 92802

(714) 781-4565
disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyl...

price: $$$

verdict: fun

a vietnamese thanksgiving

i had suggested cooking a turkey dinner for my family at my wee house, but my mom would rather do her vietnamese style thanksgiving instead which means breaking out the hibachi bitches! my mom loves making "bun cha" when she has the time, which is a rice vermicelli noodle dish with grilled pork patties and grilled pork belly. so for turkey day this year, i ate a monster helping of pig instead.

the hibachi grill. genius. seeing this grill was like seeing an old friend and having convos about the good ole days when i had to sit there and fan the flames with cardboard. this year, my little sis was given the job. haha sucka! here's the pork patties getting a good grilling.

grilled pork belly. one of my favorite components in this dish. nothing says PIG loudly than a helping of pig fat and skin.

then my mom decided to grill some goat. my vietnamese vocabulary is not that extensive so she either said goat or deer. either way, the billy goats gruff or bambi tasted good.

and here's charlie, lying patiently, waiting for a scrap or two to come his way. this dog eats WAY TOO MUCH when his grandma's around. i think he can get a job at a busy street corner hustling for scraps. he is rather good at it. look at that face and those droopy eyes!

an here's my momma, the best cook ever (my dad is amazing too. once upon a time, my parents both owned a few restaurants between them, but restaurants are tough business ventures to say the least, but i'll save those stories for another day). she's getting the bun ready for consumption. i also bought a bottle of prosecco from silverlake wine to celebrate the meal. that was tasty too!

my mom outdid herself this year with the eggrolls. they were crispy on the outside, but super juicy in the inside. the eggrolls were stuffed with a generous helping of crab meat and shrimp along with other ingredients that makes the eggroll KING of all rolls. i consumed enough to last me till christmas i think.

all the grilled meats are put in this vinegar and sugar sauce to marinate a bit. the sauce adds flavor to your bun as you ladle everything into your bowl.

my bowl of bun cha without the helping of veggies that should probably go in there. carnivore, what can i say?

our vietnamese thanksgiving!

and that's how MY BELLY spent thanksgiving. there are many reasons to be thankful this year, from the serious to the silly. for sure, being able to write a silly blog about food and actually have people (you know who you 3 folks are out there) read it is one of them. i hope you all had a wonderful meal and didn't go into debt with all the black friday shopping. i didn't...i'm rubbing my belly and playing the wii! i love 4 day weekends!

eat my blog says my belly

when i heard about eat my blog, a charity bake sale organized by cathy of gastronomyblog and diana of diana takes a bite, i immediately wanted IN. the year is about to come to a close and i have yet to rack up the much needed good karma points that one must rack up before the close of the year (if i were you, i would check your karma points total as well). besides, it seems like a great way to do something good for the community...and if it involves food, well HECK yeah, i'm in!

anyways, i decided to make a LIMITED EDITION rum cake. limited because i will probably burn a few loaves while i'm at it. besides, my keebler elves will be on vacation so i will have to crank it out on my own...or maybe i just don't want a tragic visual of a mountain of untouched, unsold rum cakes made by moi.

if it will entice you any, it will involve 2 of my most favorite ingredients in the world, pecans and rum. now doesn't that make you wanna run and not walk to the bake sale? and if you do find yourself there, do pick up my rum cake. it will be made with 100% roaming belly love and 80 proof rum which is a fabulous combo if i must say so myself. methinks it will be a sweet, sweet deal.

meeting my dimsum needs at east gourmet

going to dimsum for chinese people is like a picnic of hamburgers and hot dogs for you americans, except we have chicken feet, tripe, and other awfully delicious, offalicious things to eat. it is also a great time to sit around with all the old people and have them ask you embarassing questions about your relationships, double chin, marriage, and for me, my old eggs in my dusty, ancient ovaries (how can the eggs be viable with ancient ovarian walls crumbling all around them you might wonder? yep, they wonder too). and yes folks, it just got personal. like monthly thanksgiving dinners that start off with feel-good vibes, the convo always turns a little wacko. why do family do that?

normally, my family stick to ocean seafood in chinatown, but once in a while, we brave the 10 east and find ourselves in rosemeand at east gourmet seafood restaurant. this place has sorry reviews on yelp, but it's also packed up to the hilt for dimsum during the weekends. i can't imagine a billion chinese people to be in the wrong about this (ok, maybe not a billion, but definitely not wrong). methinks the dimsum is rather tasty.

we always start off with ha-gow which is a dimsum staple. they are shrimp filled dumplings wrapped in translucent rice wrappers. this is probably my most favorite dimsum dish EVER and they usually go fast, thanks to me.

phoenix claws aka chicken feet. mmm, also a favorite of mine. the feet are marinated in soy sauce and black beans and then steamed until tender. nothing like spitting toe bones onto your plate to bring sexy back.

sliced pig ears with chili sauce. delicious cold dish with a lovely crunch. chomp, chomp, chomp went me chompers and oink, oink, ouch went the pigs.

curry beef tendons. this was a lovely discovery at east gourmet and i don't see them often, but when i do, they have my name all over it. the tendons are slightly gelatinous and do not appeal to all folks, but if it appeals to you, it is really a delicious dish to try.

veggie meat gows which are NOT good. ack. i took a bite and "accidently" dropped the other half on the floor. whooops.

and a family pic of tripe, cheung fan (rice rolls), steamed pork ribs, and black been ribs. yummy.

the best thing about east gourmet is that EVERY dimsum dish is priced at $1.88 which is awesome. if you didn't already know this, most dimsum places have different price points depending on whether it is a "small" or "big" dimsum item. no mediums since you ain't buying a jacket yo. anyways, i like this place and i suggest you get here before 10am because it gets crazy crowded and the parking lot is stressful. it's literally like dimsuming in china with the amount of people that frequent this shopping center.

East Gourmet Seafood Restaurant

8118A East Garvey Avenue

Rosemead, CA 91770

(626) 288-9128

price: $$

verdict: tasty, try it!

united bread and pastry...little manila in silverlake?

i was shocked to hear that lady gaga has a shlong. does she? has it been confirmed? i was equally suprised when i walked into united bread and pastry in silverlake and found a pilipino bakery full of baked goods and prepared foods instead of just a regular ole bakery full of french bread and sourdough. just like the lady gaga rumors, i didn't expect it.

there is no indication from the storefront that this tiny space is crammed full of pilipino foodstuff. pan de sal, puto, siopao amongst other things to eat are piled high and a misstep from you or me would have caused a delicious avalanche...or some kind of tasty accident at the very least.

you can also order platters of prepared foods if you're having those huge family gatherings that requires huge platters of food. while i was there, i saw a man picking up trays and trays of cooked goods. the bakery seemed very popular and streams of people trickled in and out...all pilipino of course except for my vietnamese chinese self as i sniffed about looking for something to eat since my plan for french bread had gone out the door.

i recalled a childhood friend and eating pancit malabon at manila sunset with her and promptly bought a small serving of it. the noodles were thick and the sprinkling of egg yolk, shrimp, and chicharonnes were delightful, though bad i'm sure for your health...but who's keeping tabs anyways except for my doctor.

why the sad face?

i also bought a small mocha cake to share with my fam. although pretty to look at, it was extremely dry. it's like eating a cake made out of sawdust. the whole thing was quickly chucked out rather than stuffed down. too bad, so sad....i had a bad sweet tooth too.

although i'm not savvy with pilipino cuisine, i'm sure there are more pre-cooked gems to be found here so when i stroll down sunset again, i'll be sure to pop my head in. besides, i think they sell halo halo too!

United Bread & Pastry Inc.
1515 Griffith Park Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 661-0037

price: $
verdict: it's aight

spam love at shakas

a prohibitive love i have comes compacted in a can with oozy jelly on top. its pink flesh and mysterious taste indicates that it's pork, but if you allow your imagination to wander like a crazy rob zombie movie, then perhaps the pink flesh is actually made up of grounded up fingers chopped off of meat factory workers. you know, terrible, terrible accidents...they happen all the time. or perhaps it is just spam.

i first felt the tingling sensation of spam love when my friend introduced me to shakas about 8 years ago. the scene of the love crime; shakas hawaiian flavors in monterey park. it's a casual place and you order at the counter and they bring you your food, kind of like an urth cafe but faster, cheaper, and fattier.

the menu is pretty diverse, though i can't vouch for it much because i'm pretty monagamous to the shaka plate. to me, the combination of sesame chicken, teriyaki beef, chinese chicken salad, SPAM MUSUBI, and a side of heiniously fatty macaroni salad makes my belly happy. overall though, the plate sways to the sweeter side because of the teriyaki sauce and the salad dressing. if you like your things on the savory side, this may not be your pick but i do urge you to get a taste of their spam musubi and the macaroni salad. one taste will change your life for the better...just like mine.

the menu (click on the picture for price points because their online menu won't list any).

the shaka plate...yummy!

do not pass go, go directly into my pie hole please.

i've never been to hawai'i but i imagine a special road made out of spam bricks....mmm, and if it's wrapped up in rice and nori with a smear of teriyaki sauce, that would be even better. spam musubi, shaka plate....the magic happens here at shakas!

Shakas
2300 S Garfield Ave
Ste D
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(323) 888-2695
shakas.com

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

crane sushi attempts to make the grade

when i was an undergrad at ucla, there were moments in my education when i just didn't give a shit...like i would roll out of my bunk bed late, fast walk my ass down bruin walk from dykstra, and make it in time for maybe 30 minutes of class while i sat in the back nosing around my backpack for something to eat. in most cases, these were "pass/no pass" classes, so i always did the bare minimum to pass. yup, i worked the system like a stripper working for that last quarter in your pocket.

a few days ago, i ate at a pass/no pass sushi restaurant in alhambra called crane sushi. the set up inside was a bit confusing because of the japanese meets tiki hut decor. normally, if i'm not paying for ambience as part of my diner's fee, then i really don't care. i brushed off the confusing decor as i looked over the menu.

since there were three of us dining that day, we ordered a medly of raw things to eat. the first up was this plate of cut rolls; scallop, spicy tuna, and unagi. it was ok...nothing explosive in my mouth but nothing explosive in my pants either after i ate it so it got a pass grade from me.

a sushi platter which had the typical cuts of fish at any there or barely there sushi bars; maguro, salmon, white fish, albacore, ebi, and the ever present spicy tuna (a sushi love i have which gets me ridiculed...boo hoo). again, not the freshest fish i've tasted, but acceptable. another pass grade.

a friend wanted to try their clams in wine and onion broth. it's a rather small bubbly container so check out the chopsticks for some perspective. the clams were also pretty dinky and i think two might be able to share this dish and be fine with the portion size, but for three people, it was pushing it. it's like having one ice-cream cone and getting five people to give it one lick only. fulfilled? methinks NOT. this dish was tasty though, and also relatively more pricey in this menu of cheap eats. pass grade.

overall, the food is OK. a pass. the sushi is one step above supermarket sushi and the rolls are feeling the recession so the price points are CHEAP. service is lousy though, but anytime i travel down the 10 east and find myself anywhere in the sgv, service considerations usually goes out the window anyways (hmmm...good service hardly exists...but tipping does. interesting). i wouldn't recommend this place as a great sushi joint, but since it won't cause explosive diarrhea or rape your wallet, then it'll fit SOMEONE'S eating criteria so if it does for you, GO friend. it barely gets a pass grade, but it passes....and sometimes, that is good enough.

Crane Sushi
17 West Main Street
Alhambra, CA 90032
(626) 458-0388

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

a mouse in the house

mmm, sweet potatoes. my favorite way to prep them is to give them a good long bake in the toaster oven. the sides caramelize into this intense sweetness while the insides become super tender for a delicious bite. love eating it when i feel cold and want to see steam rising from my food.

the last time i baked one, guess what i found?! doesn't this blob of burnt sweet potato juice look like a famous mouse to you? perhaps next time, i can get an image of the virgin mary or jesus christ instead. just imagine the loads and loads of people from around the country who will trek to my wee house just so that they can catch a glimpse of the miracle juice, locked behind a glass case on a raised pedestal. i think i will charge $1 per viewing.

since this mickey mouse blob wasn't as exciting as a religious one, i just showed it to my dog charlie who promptly tried to eat it. bad dog! bad dog! stop trying to look cute!

getting flossed at barbrix

first of all, if you plan to look for barbrix in the evening time, i suggest that you strap a miner's flashlight to your forehead as you sniff this place out. barbrix is well hidden and not at all close to hyperion ave as its address states. it's more like a little house located on the back lot of a dark parking area which happens to be on hyperion. be ready to circle around a two block radius like a dumbass until you finally find it. just accept this fate ok OR look for tracy street as its cross street and and a hardware store which sits right across from it. i find that landmarks help a lot when you're driving in the dark.

when i finally got there, i was soooo ready for a glass of wine. i started off with a prosecco which immediately smoothed out the night. my friend started to rip into the bread....ah, what bread whores we are.

we started off with the hamachi crudo ($9) which were three small slivers of hamachi served with ginger creme fraiche. it was rather delicious but a bite later it was gone :( that appears to be the theme of the night. hi, bite, bye.

the charcuterie of choice was the culatello ($7) which is sliced lean proscuitto. i LOVE proscuitto and eating that while sipping me wino always makes my mouth sing. yummay. and sing i do, when i get tipsy enough, but that's another story.

roasted butternut squash salad which was free. you know why? cuz i took a bite of the crostini and felt something FLOSS MY TEETH. yup, a HAIR. ILL. i waved our server over and she apologized and brought out a new plate for us, but you see, my friend was seriously traumatized by this. after witnessing this hairy situation, she took a bite out of her own food and thought she found hair in her food as well....only to realize that she had taken a bite out of her own black locks instead when she had leaned over for a bite. what would you have done?

grilled arctic char ($12) with the MOST DELICIOUS marinated beets ever. this was my first time tasting this fish and i thought it tasted like salmon. when i got home and googled it, it turned out my tastebuds were partly right because they are closely related to salmon and trout. if you like these two types of fish, then i recommend that you get this dish or try it wherever artic char is offered. it is a rather delicious fish.

deep fried sweetbreads with a spicy aioli dip ($6). the sweetbreads were overly battered and fried which means you barely taste the sweetbreads themselves. instead, they tasted like popcorn chicken with a creamy middle which is a shame. sweetbreads, when well prepared, is quite tasty.

4 glasses of wine, 4 plates of small bites (minus the hairy salad), and a generous tip later left us $101 poorer. even after finding that piece of hair, i think their food is generally delicious, though pricey for what you get. do not expect to get full here if you're on a budget and if you like to drink.

Barbrix
2442 Hyperion Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 662-2442
http://www.barbrix.com/

price: $$$
verdict: tasty, try it (i know right, even with that damn piece of hair!)